Andrew Cleland
Also known as Andrew N. Cleland
Andrew Cleland is a physicist whose quantum-hardware work connects superconducting circuits and mechanical systems for quantum computing, communication and sensing. After earning engineering physics and physics degrees at Berkeley, he researched quantum systems in Saclay and Caltech, joined UC Santa Barbara in 1997, and moved to the University of Chicago in 2014. In 2010, he observed and prepared quantum ground and nonclassical states in a moving object; in 2018, his group connected quantum circuits to acoustic waves. His lab published a modular processor design in 2024 and demonstrated entanglement between separate acoustic resonators in 2025; he received a Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship in 2024 and the Lounasmaa Memorial Prize in 2025. As of October 2026, he is a University of Chicago professor and has been selected as an InstituteQ Chair of Excellence hosted at Aalto University.
- Now at
- University of Chicago
- Works
- 314
Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 15 October 2026. Citations and h-index are hidden because this OpenAlex record may be incomplete or mix in other authors.
Timeline
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1983–1997
From Berkeley to Santa Barbara
He earns a BS in engineering physics in 1983 and a PhD in physics in 1991 at UC Berkeley, works as a postdoctoral researcher in Saclay and a senior research fellow at Caltech, and joins UC Santa Barbara's physics faculty in 1997.
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2010
A quantum mechanical object
He observes and prepares the quantum ground state and nonclassical states of a moving object in 2010; Science names the work its “Breakthrough of the Year.”
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2014
Professor at Chicago
He moves to the University of Chicago's Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering in 2014 as John A. MacLean Sr. Professor for Molecular Engineering, Innovation, and Enterprise and director of the Pritzker Nanofabrication Facility.
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2018
Connecting sound and qubits
His group connects quantum circuits to a mechanical system that carries surface acoustic waves and controls it at the quantum level in 2018.
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2024
A Vannevar Bush fellowship
The Department of Defense names him a 2024 Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellow; he uses the fellowship to support phonon-based quantum-computing research.
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November 2024–February 2025
A modular quantum processor
In November 2024, his lab publishes a modular superconducting processor design with a reconfigurable central router; in February 2025, his group demonstrates high-fidelity entanglement between two physically separate acoustic wave resonators.
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2025
An Olli V. Lounasmaa Prize
He receives the 2025 Olli V. Lounasmaa Memorial Prize for research on micromechanical devices and superconducting qubits with quantum-information and quantum-sensing applications.
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As of October 2026
An InstituteQ chair
He is a University of Chicago professor whose group works on superconducting quantum-computer architectures and quantum acoustics for quantum information and sensing. In October 2026, he is selected as an InstituteQ Chair of Excellence hosted at Aalto University for a three-year term.
Sources and credits
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- cleland lab members
- Olli V. Lounasmaa Memorial Prize awarded to Prof. Andrew Cleland
- Quantum sound waves to open doors for more powerful sensors
- Innovative phonon-based quantum computing research at UChicago Engineering gets a $3 million boost by the U.S. Department of Defense
- UChicago scientists at PME design new quantum chip
- UChicago scientists make major advance in quantum sound
- Andrew Cleland selected as InstituteQ Chair of Excellence, hosted at Aalto University